Why Bagged Vacuums Are Better Than Bagless Vacuums
The short answer is much more sanitary dirt disposal, much fewer times to change a bag than dumping a bagless dirt cylinder and a much longer life of the vacuum cleaner on average. Yet if you go shopping in a Big Box store for a vacuum, every vacuum cleaner is a bagless model whether it’s a canister or upright. But first a little vacuum cleaner ‘history’. Americans have always gravitated towards uprights over canisters because 40 – 60 years ago, most homes installed wall to wall carpet in every room except the kitchen and bathrooms. Now most homes have little to no carpeting and maybe some area rugs. But while floor coverings have drastically changed, American’s choice of vacuums have not. Bagless vacuums came into existence for the sake of convenience not because they worked better. Vacuum manufacturers were – and still are – great marketers of bagless vacuums regardless even if they blow fine dust back into your living space and they’re as louder than a canister vacuum.
Facts about bagless vacuums:
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They use gravity and centrifugal force to separate the dirt and dust from the pre-motor filtration. In practice this doesn’t work particularly well because the motor suction pulls the light dust and pet hair straight into the pre-motor filter, clogging it and causing reduce airflow.
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The clear dirt receptacle needs to be emptied after each use and typically multiple times if you have a lot of pet hair.
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Most bagless vacuums emit substantially more dust through their exhaust than bagged vacuums.
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They are typically louder to operate than bagged vacuums.
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The lifespan is shorter because much finer dust goes through the motor with a bagless vacuum. This leads to more replacement costs.